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03-11-2015, 02:59 PM
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#1
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 483
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Car Washing
Living in the north cars take a beating in the winter. Continually covered with salt/chemical ash which adheres to your clothes if you rub against it. Wondering where you live, how often you wash your car/s, and whether you do it by hand or a carwash. In the winter I say about 6 times a month for two cars. A neighbor buys an annual coupon and almost does daily, but that is his business car.
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03-11-2015, 03:04 PM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Eastern WV Panhandle
Posts: 25,302
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Normally in the warm weather I hand wash. When the temperature drops below 45° or so I take it to a no-touch car wash. These use high-pressure spray but no cloths clogged with grit from other cars dragging over the finish.
Occasionally when I'm feeling lazy, flush, or both I'll take it to the car wash even in summer.
__________________
When I was a kid I wanted to be older. This is not what I expected.
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03-11-2015, 03:05 PM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,004
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Our cars get washed maybe once a month, probably less. No winter chemicals/salt to deal with just the usual grime from dust and dirty roads after a rain. Almost all the washes are done at a carwash. Our water is so hard it leaves a major coating of spots/film, no matter how well you try to dry. The only way I've been able to do a hand wash is in the rain, allowing the rainwater to be the final rinse.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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03-11-2015, 03:23 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,895
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The answer is... not very often. When we lived in the south, it rained so much that the car rarely needed a good washing (once or twice a year?). In California, it rains much less and the car gets dusty and grimy very quickly, even if it stays parked in the garage. But it still only gets washed twice a year. It's a bit of a disgrace at the moment, but I am conserving water. That's my excuse anyways.
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03-11-2015, 03:51 PM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,401
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I give my SUV the interior-exterior package at the car wash twice a year, supplementing that with a drive through car wash every month or two. It is parked inside our condo Parkade and I cannot wash it there. I can hand wash it at a local facility but as the vehicle is taller than I am, my efforts can be patchy.
It is very dusty in our Parkade right now and as soon as the municipality completes street sweeping, we are going to get the Parkade professionally swept and powerwashed. That's my cue to take my car for its Spring spa visit!
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03-11-2015, 03:56 PM
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#6
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
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Both cars garaged.. very little winter driving. Haven't been to a car wash on 20 years. Only use one car on the messy days. A bucket of warm water to wash and two to rinse. Not usually needed.
Warm weather, I wash and wax as a labor of love. Inside, outside and the engine compartment. Detail, with the better waxes, cleaners and leather and tire dressings. And yes, I use the hose and a degreaser on the engine.
Wash and hose from the bottom up, so the dirt gets a better chance to wash away as you get to the car top. Somewhat controversial. Always, always use Dawn to avoid streaks. Windows get the microfiber cloth treatment. Special cloth from some foreign country that I could only find at flea markets... sold out of a booth for about $4/cloth. Worth every penny... One swipe window wash on car and on house windows. A miracle.
Both Lincoln and Cadillac have special paints and imitation convertible tops. they always look showroom fresh despite their combined 37years of age.
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03-11-2015, 03:57 PM
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#7
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,200
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About three times a year for me. DW gets hers done about monthly, because a dirty looking car is just unacceptable to her.
We have a truly wonderful drive-through carwash here that does a magnificent job in about two minutes. Depending on what you want done, the price ranges from $8 all the way up to $19. We usually get the $15 wash, but we buy coupons when they're on sale so it really costs us $10.
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03-11-2015, 03:57 PM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,363
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Living in the Boston area, if you wait for three days in a row with no rain or snow predicted, it'll be a long, long time before you wash your car.
I wash the cars once a week regardless of the weather report.
__________________
Living well is the best revenge!
Retired @ 52 in 2005
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03-11-2015, 04:28 PM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 6,256
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I live in Denver. Our 1999 Town & Country has never been washed since we got it 137,000 miles ago. Our Roadtrek has been washed twice in the past six years. Why would one wash their vehicle when the rain and snow does such a good job of it?... or maybe the dirt just falls off. Hmmmm.
Oh! the windows are washed quite often... several times a week.
__________________
"It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
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03-11-2015, 04:30 PM
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#10
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 370
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I rarely wash it from April thru October. But once it starts snowing and the dirt/salt/yuck builds up, I'll hand wash it 2-3 times each winter in my garage -- but only when the temperature gets to 40 or above. By that time the garage floor is pretty cruddy from built up snow melt.
I use one bucket with dish detergent. And a second for rinse.
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03-11-2015, 04:43 PM
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#11
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,474
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FIREd
The answer is... not very often. When we lived in the south, it rained so much that the car rarely needed a good washing
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+1
It rains so much here (over 60"/year), that I have never washed my 2009 Venza. It gets rinsed off thoroughly more days than not, since I have neither a garage nor a carport.
I'm not recommending not washing one's car in the South. In this post I'm just saying that like many/most here I haven't done it and for whatever reasons, the world has not ended. Also, it looks shiny and pretty.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.
Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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03-11-2015, 04:47 PM
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#12
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Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: San Diego
Posts: 14,171
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FIREd
The answer is... not very often. When we lived in the south, it rained so much that the car rarely needed a good washing (once or twice a year?). In California, it rains much less and the car gets dusty and grimy very quickly, even if it stays parked in the garage. But it still only gets washed twice a year. It's a bit of a disgrace at the moment, but I am conserving water. That's my excuse anyways.
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This.
I wash my car twice a year. It's not laziness... It's the drought, LOL.
__________________
Retired June 2014. No longer an enginerd - now I'm just a nerd.
micro pensions 6%, rental income 20%
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03-11-2015, 05:25 PM
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#13
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Northern Ohio
Posts: 3,182
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Speaking of subscription plans...
Seriously, we do this. For the cost of about 3 washes we get unlimited use for a month. Recently, with all the salt on the roads I've been taking it in maybe twice a week. Depending on the weather. There is no incremental cost (besides my time, which is abundant) and it's nearby.
When DW got her new car, we added it - 50% off the second car.
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03-11-2015, 05:46 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: No fixed abode
Posts: 8,764
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My car's only 11 years old. I was thinking about washing it, but just haven't gotten around to it.
Actually, I do run it through a car wash a couple of times/year after 4-wheeling through the mud/dust. I did, however, hand wash it once, about 6-7 years ago. I discovered that if you have tar and pine sap stuck to it, don't use the scrubby side of the sponge.
If I have to drive through salt and stuff, I just blast through a few puddles.
__________________
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement." - Anonymous (not Will Rogers or Sam Clemens)
DW and I - FIREd at 50 (7/06), living off assets
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03-11-2015, 05:50 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 6,683
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Once a year for me, in the spring, after all the salt and dirt has built up. I bring it to a nearby car wash which costs about $6 or $7. Sometimes I find a coupon for a $1 off.
A few years ago I got a coupon for a free car wash at a high-end car wash place but when I tried to use it the line was so long and never moved so after 20 minutes I said, "Screw it" and returned to my regular no-wait place.
My car spends most of the year inside a heated garage so it is not exposed to the elements very often. I drive about 3,000 miles per year so it doesn't hit the road often, either.
__________________
Retired in late 2008 at age 45. Cashed in company stock, bought a lot of shares in a big bond fund and am living nicely off its dividends. IRA, SS, and a pension await me at age 60 and later. No kids, no debts.
"I want my money working for me instead of me working for my money!"
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03-11-2015, 06:00 PM
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#16
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,342
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The place I go to get an oil change offers a free car wash at the place across the street. So, once every 3 months or so, i'll have my car washed. I live in Wisconsin so it gets pretty yucky about half the year but I don't much care about how the car looks as long as it runs well. Years ago before the rust proofing that modern cars have, I washed my car every couple weeks in the winter to prevent rust. That is not necessary these days.
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03-11-2015, 06:10 PM
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#17
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,862
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I pay ~$80 every six months for an automatic car wash with human, hand towel dry. I go once or twice a week, and vacuum at home each week when I vacuum the house. I like a clean car. It's black, so it looks awful when it's dirty. And our garage is pretty cozy and I hate getting it all over my clothes.
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03-11-2015, 07:17 PM
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#18
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 249
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I hand wash our cars. The frequency depends on the weather. During a dry spell it can be a month or so between washes but usually it's every two weeks or so.
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03-11-2015, 08:05 PM
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#19
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 1,764
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Trucks go through the car wash about once a week in the winter, every other week in the warmer weather unless we're at a muddy job site. All the cars are hand washed. We do not like dirty vehicles.
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03-11-2015, 08:17 PM
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#20
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 116
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LauAnn
I rarely wash it from April thru October. But once it starts snowing and the dirt/salt/yuck builds up, I'll hand wash it 2-3 times each winter in my garage -- but only when the temperature gets to 40 or above. By that time the garage floor is pretty cruddy from built up snow melt.
I use one bucket with dish detergent. And a second for rinse.
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Using dish detergent is one of the worst things you can do to your car's paint. It strips all the wax off. Buy any type of car wash soap instead.
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